Trofi D’Auria, train driver with Heathrow Express, talks to Michelle Mannion
2.45am I work shifts so my start time varies. An early one might begin at 4.40am, so I would get up now to leave at 3.45am. I allow plenty of time to drive to work because if you’re rushing and then going to drive a train, you’re not in a good frame of mind.
4.30am I arrive at the depot and call the control room, who will give me any safety information – anything from speed restrictions to a bump on the line. Then I go to the office, get my keys, find out what train I’m taking out and set it up so it is ready to depart. You have to do various checks, such as making sure the PA system and brakes are working. I then take the train to Paddington.
I’ve been a driver for two years. Previously, I was a customer service representative with Heathrow Express but I felt like I needed a challenge so decided to give driving a go. The training takes about six months and a big part of it is rules and regulations. There’s a section on how the trains work, fixing faults, and the line of route. You also have to get 150 hours of practical driving experience.
I do get reactions, being a woman. I remember in my first week, I pulled into T4 and a smart businessman looked at me and said: “Did you just drive that train in? Well done!” People have preconceptions, so it probably opens their eyes a bit. We have quite a lot of women, as Heathrow Express tries to promote from within – out of 82 drivers, 30 are female.
5.25am I do the first of three round trips. From Paddington to Heathrow Central takes 15 minutes – I then wait for a few minutes for passengers to get on and off and then it’s onwards to T5, which takes about four minutes. I really like going into T5 because it’s bright, but I also like when you come out of the tunnel into daylight on the way back, especially early in the morning as the sun’s rising. I like being in my cab – it’s peaceful and you can just concentrate on what you’re doing – but I also have the possibility of interacting with colleagues or customers.
The train can reach 160km/ph – that’s the most we’re allowed to do. The actual operation is quite simple once you know where things are and what you have to do – when you’re running up and down [the track] on green signals, you’ve been taught what to do and it all comes naturally. Where [all the learning] comes in is when you’re faced with cautionary signals, disruptions or anything out of the ordinary. At Paddington, I have 23 minutes between departures to stretch my legs or grab a coffee.
8.53am I have a 50-minute break. I could then do up to three more trips, but it varies – for example, I might report into one of the train managers for an hour, then do one more. It’s all worked out by diagrams that cover every journey and driver – we have a rolling 77-week roster. I usually work six days on and four days off. I don’t find it monotonous – I also drive the Heathrow Connect [stopping service], and the inter-terminal transfer between T4 and Heathrow Central, so it’s varied.
When people assume it’s an easy job, it makes me laugh. When I was studying, my neighbour came round and I had lots of posters up of all the things I was learning. She said: “Why have you got to do all this just to press a few buttons?” They don’t see the bigger picture. There is a huge responsibility to it because there could be hundreds of passengers on board. We need to be focused and remember that we’re not just sat in our little cab but are driving eight or nine carriages full of people.
One of the biggest fears is going past a red signal – that could potentially create an accident with serious consequences. Another is having a fatality. About six months ago someone jumped in front of my train. I was shocked but still came back to work the next day. That was my way of dealing with it – I didn’t want to be afraid of driving. But I had a really good chain of care – there are lots of things in place to help you get over it.
1pm On an early I might finish about now – it’s nice because you’ve still got a lot of the day ahead of you. A mid-shift could run from 12.43pm until 10.54pm, and the latest one from 4.44pm to 1.25am. I like the flexibility of shift work – I couldn’t imagine going back to a nine-to-five.
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